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UCLA Basketball: A Look at the Depth Without Ike Anigbogu

By Mike Regalado

Mar 24, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Steve Alford greets UCLA center Thomas Welsh (40) at the bench in the first half during the semifinals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Steve Alford greets UCLA center Thomas Welsh (40) at the bench in the first half during the semifinals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports /
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The UCLA Basketball team will potentially lose Ike Anigbogu to the NBA Draft, opening up both a roster spot and a scholarship.

The UCLA Basketball team will potentially lose a fifth player from this past season, which is both good and bad. Freshman center Ike Anigbogu has declared for the NBA Draft, though he will do so without an agent, leaving the door open for a return.

Unfortuantely, it looks as though it is a done deal. So with that, a roster spot and a scholarship opens up heading into next season.

The bad thing about this is that it affects depth, slightly. The good is that it opens up minutes for this deep router. Let us look at the Ike-less depth the Bruins are now situated with and how it affects the Bruins moving forward.

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Point Guards: Aaron Holiday, Jaylen Hands

Shooitng Guards: Prince Ali, LiAngelo Ball

Small Forward: Kris Wilkes, Chris Smith, Alex Olesinki

Power Forward: Cody Riley, Gyorgy Goloman

Center: Thomas Welsh, Jalen Hill, Ikenna Okwarabizie

I for one am glad that it was not another guard that left because that would create a huge imbalance. The Bruins can afford to lose a big man, though they might want to keep a player of Anigbogu’s caliber and potential.

The Bruins lose a huge defensive presence down low, which is not good for the overall defensive plan for the Bruins, but they are not devoid of skill on the defensive end. Jalen Hill is a defensive-focused player that could be a seemless replacement for Anigbogu int he front court.

The Bruins will most likely go with three big men constanly in the rotation with Hill, Thomas Welsh and Cody RIley. If needed, Gyorgy Goloman will help fill up minutes at the 4.

What this also means is that the Bruins have another scholarship to offer, which they could use for their 2017 class or hold over until 2018.

Next: Duke Transfer Chase Jeter Considering UCLA

Currently, 5-star centers Brandon McCoy and Jeremiah Tilmon are considering UCLA for next year. The addition of one of these players would be huge, but the Bruins are still deep and can survive the loss of Anigbogu, but as stated previously, having Ike for another year would have been a big, no pun intended.